Album · 10 years old this year
A Moon Shaped Pool
A Moon Shaped Pool is Radiohead's ninth studio album, released on 8 May 2016 through XL Recordings. Nigel Godrich, their longtime producer, was behind the desk, and the band worked at RAK Studios in London, their own studio in Oxford and La Fabrique in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Jonny Greenwood arranged the strings and choir, played by the London Contemporary Orchestra, which gives the record its sweeping, chamber-like feel. Stanley Donwood's abstract cover was made by exposing his paintings to the weather.
Some songs, including "True Love Waits" and "Burn the Witch", had been written years before. The lyrics deal with climate change, groupthink and heartbreak, and many critics heard Thom Yorke's separation from his wife in them. It became Radiohead's sixth UK number one, earned a Mercury Prize nomination and appeared on many best-of-year lists.
A Moon Shaped Pool: tracklist, credits and charts
11 tracks · 52:31Tracklist
- 1Burn the WitchGreenwood, Greenwood, Selway, Yorke3:40
- 2DaydreamingGreenwood, Greenwood, Selway, Yorke6:24
- 3Decks DarkGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke4:41
- 4Desert Island DiskGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke3:44
- 5Ful StopGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke6:07
- 6Glass EyesGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke2:52
- 7IdentikitGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke4:26
- 8The NumbersGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke5:45
- 9Present TenseGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke5:06
- 10Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man ThiefGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke5:03
- 11True Love WaitsGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke4:43
- Produced by
- Nigel Godrich
- Recorded at
- Studios La Fabrique (Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France), RAK, London, Radiohead studio, Oxfordshire
- Recorded
- 2014 – 2016
- Mixed by
- Nigel Godrich
- Engineered by
- Nigel Godrich, Sam Petts‐Davies
- Labels
- XL Recordings, XL
- Length
- 52:31
Line-up
- London Contemporary Orchestra · strings, choir vocals
- Clive Deamer · drums (drum set) · guest
Singles
- “Burn the Witch” · 3 May 2016
- “Daydreaming” · 6 May 2016
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · Week: 25/2016 | 1 |
| US Billboard 200 · Week: 25/2016 | 3 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 2016 | 1 |
| Irish Albums · Week: 25/2016 | 1 |
| Norwegian Albums · Week: 25/2016 | 1 |
| Portuguese Albums · Week: 25/2016 | 1 |
| Scottish Albums · Week: 25/2016 | 1 |
| Swiss Albums · Week: 25/2016 | 1 |
| US Alternative · Week: 25/2016 | 1 |
| US Top Rock Albums · Week: 25/2016 | 1 |
All 28 charts
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 2016 | 2 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) · 2016 | 2 |
| Dutch Albums · 2016 | 2 |
| Italian Albums · Week: 25/2016 | 2 |
| New Zealand Albums · Week: 25/2016 | 2 |
| South Korean International Albums (Gaon) · Week: 25/2016 | 2 |
| Finnish Albums · 2016 | 3 |
| German Albums · 2016 | 3 |
| Swedish Albums · Week: 25/2016 | 3 |
| Austrian Albums · 2016 | 4 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2016 | 4 |
| Spanish Albums · Week: 25/2016 | 4 |
| Danish Albums · 2016 | 5 |
| French Albums · 2016 | 5 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · Week: 25/2016 | 6 |
| Polish Albums · Week: 25/2016 | 9 |
| South Korean Albums (Gaon) · Week: 25/2016 | 15 |
| Hungarian Albums · Week: 25/2016 | 22 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia · 2016 | Gold |
| Canada · 2023 | Platinum |
| France · 2016 | Gold |
| Italy · 2016 | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 2025 | Platinum |
| United States · 2018 | Gold |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
87.2
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
11k
ListenBrainz listeners
190k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
50k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 8 May
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1992
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1992
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1993
Itch
1994
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1994
My Iron Lung
1994
The Bends
1995
OK Computer
1997
No Surprises / Running From Demons
1998
Airbag / How Am I Driving?
1998
Kid A
2000
Amnesiac
2001
I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings
2001
Hail to the Thief
2003
Com Lag: 2plus2isfive
2004
In Rainbows
2007
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2007
The Best Of
2008
In Rainbows: From the Basement
2008
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2009
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2011
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2011
KID A MNESIA
2021
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2025
The best of 2016
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More on XL Recordings
The label →Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata; also seen: 2016-06-17 (wikidata), 2016-06-15 (wikidata)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 8 May 2016 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 8 May 2016 | |
| Wikidata | 17 June 2016 | internationality |
| Wikidata | 15 June 2016 | Japan |
| Wikidata | 8 May 2016 | internationality |
| Deezer | 9 May 2016 | |
| Apple Music | 8 May 2016 | |
| UK / Europe release | 17 June 2016 | earliest UK or European date |
11 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | — | XL Recordings | other | |
| 8 May 2016 | — | XL Recordings | 0634904079031 | original |
| 8 May 2016 | XW | XL Recordings | 634904079062 | original |
| 15 June 2016 | JP | Hostess Entertainment Unlimited | 4582214514628 | other |
| 17 June 2016 | XE | XL Recordings | 634904079024 | other |
| 17 June 2016 | XE | XL Recordings | 634904079024 | other |
| 17 June 2016 | AR | S‐Music | 889853484829 | other |
| 17 June 2016 | MX | Casete | 634904079024 | other |
| 17 June 2016 | CA | XL Recordings | 634904079017 | other |
| 17 June 2016 | XW | XL Recordings | 0634904079000 | other |
| 28 September 2016 | XW | XL Recordings | 634904079086 | deluxe |
Cover art sources
deezer · native: native 1800x1800
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1800×1800 | native: native 1800x1800 |
| coverartarchive | 1400×1400 | upscaled |
| itunes | 1400×1400 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |